File - Robert Gordon`s College

Issue 48 I Winter 2014
Duke of Edinburgh
Awards evening
Meet Peli the
school mascot!
Pupil Achievements
Chess
Stuthi Hegde (S3) and Atharva Dhabolkar (S1)
have been selected to represent Scotland at
Chess in an international match involving
England, Wales and Ireland in December.
Congratulations also go to Euan Gray (S2)
who will be playing in the Scottish U-16 team
Chess Olympiad in Hungary this month.
Highland Dancing
Freya Oswald has passed the qualifying
examination in Highland Dancing with a
commendation, following a theory and
practical exam in October. The qualification,
given by the Associaton of Teachers of
Dancing, allows her to begin teaching
Highland Dancing.
Mathematics
Timothy Groves (S3) gained a Bronze Medal
and Certificate of Distinction from the UKMT
Junior Mathematical Olympiad earlier this year.
UKMT Senior Maths Challenge
Gold: Jalaj Khandelwal, Yash Nirmal (S5),
Luke Travis, Catriona Soden, Cong Lu (S6)
Silver: Luke Stuart, Matthew Fossett (both
S5), Ben Lyons (S6)
Bronze: Sarah Johnson, Sean Cann, Andrew
Skidmore, Jack Noble, Aisha Taylor-Sinclair,
Sophie Aitchison, Hannah Tyldsley, Carragh
Rabbitte, Callum Angus, Charles Lawrie,
Dotty Bailey (all S5), Lewis Webster, Lewis
Seaman, Lise Theron, Amy Clark (all S6)
Congratulations go to Luke Travis (6C2),
Cong Lu (6S2), Yash Nirmal (5S1) and Jalaj
Khandelwal (5S1) who won the Regional
Team Challenge at the UKMT Senior Team
Challenge. They have now qualified for the
National Final which takes place in London
in February.
Music
Associated Board Royal Schools of Music
Examinations
S1: Ella Fluck - Grade 3 Viola with merit;
Anna Scott - Grade 2 Singing with merit;
Hayley Roger - Grade 2 Cello with merit
S2: Priyanka Ram - Grade 4 Piano with
merit; Emma Morrice - Grade 4 Clarinet with
distinction; Samuel Hill - Grade 3 Flute with
distinction; Ryan Milne - Grade 3 Clarinet
with merit; Aidan Parkinson - Grade 4 Flute
with merit; Elizabeth Ruszka - Grade 3 Flute
with distinction; Mharni Stephen - Grade 5
Violin with merit; Kirsty Oldham - Grade 3
Flute with merit, Thomas Capderou - Grade
3 Trumpet with merit
S4: Samjay Vijayan - Grade 7 Oboe with
distinction and Grade 7 Treble Recorder with
distinction; Sarah Montgomery - Grade 4
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From the Quadrangle Winter 2014
Singing with merit; Dexter Fawcett - Grade
7 Piano with distinction
S5: Caitlin Boon von Ochssee - Grade 6 in
Clarinet with distinction
Trinity College Music Examinations
S1: Jonathan Reeks - Grade 2 Trumpet with
distinction; Lucy Rachel Spalding - Grade 3
Saxophone with merit
S2: Holly Greenhalgh - Grade 2 Trumpet
with distinction; Daniel Lowden - Grade 4
Trumpet with distinction; Euan Gray - Grade
5 Trumpet with merit; Grace Milne - Grade
3 Saxophone with merit; Emily Purcell Grade 1 Trumpet with distinction; Henry
Lyons - Grade 3 Saxophone with merit; Euan
Seaman - Grade 4 Trumpet and Grade 5
Trumpet with merit; Andrew Bain - Grade 4
Trumpet with distinction; Christopher Fitch
- Grade 4 Trumpet with distinction
Katy Johnson - Grade 4 Trumpet; Robbie
Eost - Grade 5 French Horn with merit;
Harry Spalding - Grade 5 Trombone with
distinction
S3: Bethany Bell - Grade 3 Cello with merit;
Jamie Fuery - Grade 4 Cello with merit; Holly
Hay - Grade 5 French Horn with distinction
S4: Holly Oswald - Grade 7 Trumpet with
merit; Ryan Morrice - Grade 7 Euphonium
with merit; David Peacock - Grade 6
Saxophone; Ewan Bruce - Grade 5 Bassoon
with merit; Rishi Purkayastha - Grade 4
French Horn with distinction
S6: Hayleigh Mathers - Grade 8 Trumpet
with distinction; Max Kaufmann - Grade
7 Saxophone; Niall MacRae - Grade 6
Euphonium with merit; Bronagh Evelyn
Miller - Grade 7 Flute with merit; Catriona
Soden - Grade 7 Flute
Trampolining
Hannah Lowe (S3) has become the Scottish National
Champion in Trampolining after competing in the
Scottish Gymnastics Trampoline Championships
held at the Bells Sports Centre in Perth in October.
Hannah was already the North Of Scotland
Champion for her category, ASM 13-14 yrs, and
competed in the same category in the finals at
Perth and out of 14 participants took first place.
On top of this she also became Scottish National
Champion for the overall ASM “G” category
across all age groups ranging from 6 - 19 years old
as she had the top score out of 53 competitors.
Swimming
Penny Winton (P7) took part in The Scottish
Junior Championships for Physically Disabled
and Sensory Impaired Swimmers which were
held in November in Grangemouth. She swam
brilliantly and came home with two golds and
one silver medal.
Congratulations to Olivia Tait (P5) who represented
RGC in a Biathlon event at the International
School in Aberdeen in September and won
a silver medal.
Olivia Tait
Penny Winton
Photography Award
Congratulations to Finella Forsyth-Grant (S1)
who has won a prize in this year’s Focus
Environment Photographic Competition. Her
photgraph, ‘White Horses on the Beach’ won
a commended prize in the Nature’s Moods
catergory. Finella was invited to attend the
Awards Ceremony at Dynamic Earth in
Edinburgh in November.
Piping
Congratulations to Lewis Maitland (5S1)
who was awarded 1st place in the Solo
Piping Competition, in the best dressed
competitor category, at the Lathallan School
Highland Games.
Physics
Congratulations go to Luke Travis and Cong
Lu (S6) who both achieved a Merit in
the British Physics Olympiad 2014-2015 A2
Challenge Competition.
Enterprising Maths
The Enterprising Mathematics Competition is a
contest between schools held at George Watson’s
College in Edinburgh which tests pupils’ skills in
Mathematics. The Robert Gordon’s teams taking
part were: RGC P – Miriam McDonald, Isobel
Green (both S4), Timothy Groves and Magnus
Ferris (both S3) and RGC Q – Nick Cameron,
Rishi Purkayastha (both S4), Samuel Hay and
Calum Shepherd (both S3).
The day started with a variety of challenging
questions that tested our aptitudes to the
limit; we were then split into groups of four
and we took part in activities that sometimes
involved physical shapes and puzzles. Finally
there was a relay between members of teams.
Although we were not the winners of this
competition, it was an educational experience
that tested our skills thoroughly.
Rishi Purkayastha (S4)
Duke of Edinburgh Awards Evening
Green Week 2014
Pupils who participate in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Scheme were recognised at an
official awards ceremony in the MacRobert Hall on Thursday 27 November, the first event of
its kind for the school where pupils were presented with their awards.
Alex Cummings (the Assistant Director of the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme) presented the
Gold awards to Alice Jaspars and Hayleigh Mathers (both S6) who had impressively managed
to complete their Gold Award in time for the event.
The Guest Speaker was Neil MacDonald who has climbed Mount Everest and spent a
considerable amount of time on expeditions in the Alps. Neil’s daughter, Darcey (S1), suffers
from Type 1 (or Insulin Dependent) Diabetes and he has used his expeditions to fundraise for
the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). There was a collection organised on the night
as a thank you to Neil for his time presenting to the audience which raised £330.77 for JDRF.
The event also showcased some of the other exceptional extra-curricular talent at the
College with two performances from the Robert Gordon’s College Dance Club and a violin
recital by S4 pupil Morna Holmes, and her partner from Bucksburn Academy.
Another busy and successful Green Week has
taken place. Back by popular demand, Dr Alan
Owen of RGU presented on WEIRD (Western,
Educated, Industrialised, Rich, Democratic) Energy
to S1/S2 and S4 pupils. Our caterer, Entier
served up a lovely green thai curry and the
library was buzzing with pupils trying to list as
many words as they could with the word ‘eco’
in them. PSE classes were treated to visiting
speakers and workshops on a variety of themes
including first aid sessions from University of
Aberdeen medical students as part of their work
for Heartstart. Continuing the theme of Health
and Wellbeing pupils from S3 to S6 had a talk
from Sexpression to encourage digital citizenship
and promote positive body image. Calum
Shepherd (S3) designed a Form Class Eco-Quiz
and the Computer Club for Girls (CC4G) held
a competition to design a screensaver.
The highlight of the week was our Electic
Car Showcase and thanks go to Mr Jamieson
for organising this exciting event which
led to the Quadrangle housing a Twizzy,
a BMWi8, a Nissan Leaf, a Renault Zoe, a
Mitsubishi iMEV and the co-Wheels Nissan
Leaf. S1 in particular were treated to Electric
Vehicle presentations by Mr Doug Robertson,
Rev. Peter Thomson and Mr Alan Simpson
(Aberdeen City Council). S1 also enjoyed
the House Competition to design our very
own RGC ‘Switch it off’ stickers for our light
switches - watch this space to see the winning
design. If you feel you could contribute in
Green Week 2015 please get in touch with
GreenPages@rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk
Calamity Jane is a huge success
The whole school performance of Calamity Jane at the Aberdeen Arts Centre has proved to
be a huge success, following last year's production of Stardust.
Tickets sold out for the final Friday night performance extremely quickly, with Wednesday
and Thursday's performances following suit. The pupils put on a stunning performance which
received a high level of praise from the audiences of each night.
Head of Drama, Mr Milarvie and Head of Music, Mr Haggart, have been heavily involved in
the production and have been impressed by the teamwork and enthusiasm from all involved.
Mr Mills, Head of College, commented: “The investment into drama and music is part
of our ongoing commitment in supporting pupils to become well rounded citizens of the
world. Some of our former pupils have gone on to enjoy careers in West End stage, Movie
and TV productions. The dedication to the show from the pupils and departments has been
remarkable."
Pupils name the
school mascot
Mrs MacLeod recently introduced a new
member of the Gordon’s community to pupils.
Talking to the Primary Two children about the
values of our Founder, Robert Gordon and
the importance of the Pelican symbol, Mrs
MacLeod invited the yeargroup to name our
new Pelican mascot (pictured) which has been
kindly donated by the Parents Association.
Look out for Peli at some of our upcoming
school events and do say ‘Hello’.
WInter 2014 From the Quadrangle
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GAIL: a global alliance of teaching and learning
From the School Captains
During another successful term here at Robert
Gordon’s College, pupils were fortunate to
have the opportunity over half-term to learn
from pioneers of ground-breaking scientific
research at Harvard and MIT in Boston, and
also to experience the turbulent geo-thermal
activities of Iceland first-hand with the annual
Geography trip. A new member of the school
community came to us this term in ‘Peli the
Pelican’ – the new school mascot – who is a
welcome addition to our school community as
we prepare for the Christmas break.
The annual school production “Calamity Jane”
received rave reviews after sold out shows at
the Aberdeen Arts Centre, where it entertained
parents, pupils and teachers alike. Meanwhile,
the College Remembrance services in November
served as a poignant reminder of the centenary
of the outbreak of WW1. We wish the senior
pupils well for their upcoming deadlines for
university applications, and we look forward to
resuming the school calendar in the New Year.
Benjamin Osugo and Mirrhyn Stephen (S6)
International education and global citizenship begin at Robert Gordon’s College in our nursery
and extend to every part of college life and we are proud to be a member of the Global
Alliance for Innovative Learning (GAIL).
In order to extend our experiences beyond our gateway and into the world beyond, we have
formed an alliance with schools in other parts of the world whose vision and ethos we share:
• Africa: Prestige College, Pretoria, South Africa
• Asia: Woodstock School, Mussoorie, India
• Asia: The Western International School of Shanghai, China
• Australasia: Scotch College, Adelaide, Australia
• Australasia: Kristin School, Auckland, New Zealand
• North America: Kimball Union Academy, New Hampshire, USA
• South America: The Grange School, Santiago, Chile
Through this alliance, pupils and staff from each institution can experience living and
working together in pursuit of a global objective: to learn from each other, to recognise a
common humanity which transcends cultural and religious differences and to see one’s own
culture from a different perspective.
It is our hope that everybody at Robert Gordon’s College will benefit from a truly global
perspective of teaching and learning. Pupils involved in GAIL will be invited to attend an
annual convention at a selected host school. They will gain invaluable experience of different
cultures, lifestyles and hopefully make enduring global friendships. The 2015 GAIL student
Convention will take place in the Indian Himalayas at Woodstock School.
There will be two staff fellowships every year to one of the partner schools where they
will be able to explore, discover and share their research findings amongst the GAIL school
communities so as to extend the Teaching and Learning experiences of all.
RGCPA News
October and November continued to be a
busy month for the volunteers on the PA
with the organising of the Christmas Fair - an
important event for the PA which everyone
enjoys getting involved in. Things have gone
well with a good selection of craft stalls and
activities for the kids.
We have also revamped our marketing
materials and had the opportunity to use our
new pop up banner when talking to parents
at the recent Open Morning on 8 November.
This was a great event for us with a lot of
interest shown by parents in what we do.
Following the Summer Ball we are finalising
discussions with the College regarding how the
money, raised by the parents of RGC pupils,
will be used. It is exciting to see everything
coming together now on the new building.
Finally we were very happy to support the
College with the purchase of the dolphin in
the Quadrangle and the new mascot, Peli
the Pelican.
Please contact us on chair.rgcpa@gmail.
com should you have any queries or ideas
for us to be involved in or you would like
to help out.
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From the Quadrangle Winter 2014
RMPS visit prison
The Higher RMPS classes were lucky enough to secure an invite to visit HMP Grampian, the
new 'superjail' in Peterhead. RGC was the last school to visit Craiginches, Torry, before it
closed last year, and exactly one year on we were the first school to be granted a visit to the
new prison. Gaining entry involved a complex security process, and with 33 in the party it
emphasised the measures that all staff go through every day just to come to work at HMP
Grampian. We were impressed by the new facility, which has a heavy emphasis on education,
reform and rehabilitation in an effort to prevent reoffending once prisoners are released.
This was followed the next week with a trip to Aberdeen Sheriff Court, at the invitation of
Sheriff William Summers. He talked to us in Court 6, explaining the role of the Sheriff and
the range of sentences available to him, as well as the legal and moral considerations he
weighs up in determining appropriate sentences.
As part of their study of Crime & Punishment, pupils learned far more than can be
communicated in the classroom alone and these trips have been as informative for the staff as
for the pupils. We are extremely grateful to the Scottish Prison Service for facilitating our visit.
Mrs F McWilliam
Action packed Science
visit to Boston
Forty three S5 pupils and five members of staff travelled to Boston, Massachusetts for a week
in the October break. The schedule was tightly packed with a variety of activities each day,
giving pupils a taste of technology, science, history and local culture in the city and local area.
The pupils took in tours of MIT, Harvard and Northeastern University; meeting a range
of students, scientists and researchers. They went on a trip to the NERVE Centre, a robot
testing lab in Lowell, and enjoyed two hands-on workshops at the MIT museum – one on
programming Robots using sensors, and the other on Physics and Photography, before a
fascinating glimpse of the many research projects on display at the museum galleries.
It wasn’t all work and no play however; we visited the New England Aquarium after a
tour of the city of Boston and also travelled to the pretty New England towns of Concord,
Lexington and Salem for a day steeped in history. A huge hit with the pupils was the Boston
Celtics basketball game at the TD Garden stadium.
We also met a number of former pupils on our trip from the world of business, science,
insurance and education. They were pleased and excited to share their experiences with us,
telling us of their careers since leaving Gordon’s. We were lucky to have some of these former
pupils join us on our last evening in Boston, aboard the Odyssey cruise ship.
Remembrance Day
The 2014 RGC Combined Cadet Force (CCF)
Biennial Review began with lunch in the
Governor’s Room which was attended by RGC
CCF staff and senior cadets, Mr Mills, and the
Reviewing Officer, Air Vice-Marshal Lindsay
Irvine, Director of Legal Services, RAF, (who is
a former pupil of the College). After visiting
Allenvale Cemetery to place poppies on the war
graves of Gordonians there were presentations
in the Conference Room followed by the annual
Remembrance Service and Parade. A wreath
was placed at the new War Memorial in the
quadrangle by AVM Irvine and the contingent
was then inspected by him.
To end the day, a reception was held in the
MacRobert Hall. We were delighted to welcome
Mr George Adam, Lord Provost, attending in
the capacity of Lord Lieutenant for the City of
Aberdeen, who presented the Lord Lieutenant’s
Cadet Certificate to Sgt Karen Thomson.
Also present were Mr Gordon and Mrs Meg
Campbell and their daughters, who presented
Sgt Thomson with the Gordon Campbell Sword,
in memory of their son and former pupil of
the College Cpl Gordon Campbell, who died
in 2006 while serving his country.
Economics Trip
On Wednesday 5 November Higher and
Advanced Higher Economics pupils met at
7:30am at the front gates and headed off
to Stirling for the annual Scottish Economics
Society Conference for schools. Throughout
the day we attended talks on a wide range of
topics including the History of Economics, the
effects of the Independence Referendum on
the economy and exam tips by SQA examiners.
We all felt that it was an enlightening day as it
was quite different to the SQA exam course.
It also gave us an insight into what studying
Economics at university would be like.
Kirsty Harkness (S5)
Charities update
Wild Dolphins settle into new home
Two new additions to the Robert Gordon’s Community have arrived on campus. “Oceanic
Dance” and “The Octopus Within” are two of the dolphins which were part of the Archie
Foundation Wild Dolphin Initiative.
“Oceanic Dance” was donated to the pupils by the Parents Association and the College’s
Gordon’s Today Fund. It was painted by Danielle Callaghan, an Edinburgh-based illustrator
who took her inspiration from the vast array of culture which can be found in Aberdeen and
is located in the Quadrangle outside the new Science & Technology Centre.
“The Octopus Within”, located in the Junior School Library, was painted by Lauren Fox,
also based in Edinburgh and takes a humourous look at what the inside of a dolphin might
look like. The dolphin was kindly donated with thanks to the generosity of Governor Dr
George Stevenson, a long time friend of the school and member of the Board of Governors.
The Charities Committee busy term kicked
off with a collection on Founder's Day,
quickly followed by the Macmillan Coffee
Morning. They then asked people to donate
for a Remembrance Cross to mark every
Gordonian who died in either of the World
Wars and then arranged the crosses in the
form of a giant poppy on the front lawn
for 11 November. At the same time they
were arranging a Children In Need show
which took place in the MacRobert Hall on
Thursday 13 November and a Bake Sale for
the following interval. They also sold raffle
tickets in aid of Grampian Brain Injury Trust
before every performance of Calamity Jane.
WInter 2014 From the Quadrangle
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News from our Junior School
Visit to Aberdeen Maritime Museum
P2 pupils visited Aberdeen Maritime Museum as part of their Scotland
topic. The visit is an annual favourite of P2 and afterwards the children
thanked the Museum Education Officers. Jake (P2C) wrote:
‘Thank you for our Museum visit yesterday. I learned fishermen
wear yellow jackets. I also learned fishermen had old foghorns too.
I enjoyed learning about the sea and all kinds of fish. When we did
the quiz I liked looking for the old hook. My favourite part was when
we went up to see the man climbing in the rigging.’
Pupils held a very successful Bring and Buy Sale “Waste Not Wednesday” during Green Week
Green Week
During the school Green Week all three Primary One classes
experimented with making recyced paper.
P1D made theirs from old newspapers, P1Ma made theirs from white
scrap paper and P1M made theirs from coloured scrap paper. The
children were involved in the whole process from tearing the paper
into small pieces, observing the soaking process and then getting to
explore the pulp texture before we used the deckles to squeeze and
roll the pupl into sheets. We left them in the classrooms over the
weekend to dry out and on Monday the children all got to take a
small piece of their recycled paper home with them.
Nursery news
We all love Children in Need day and have fun whilst we help to
raise money too. We made a donation to have an out of uniform
day and got to wear our own clothes – especially spotty things!
P1 made their own recycled paper during
the Eco “Green Week.”
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From the Quadrangle Winter 2014
In November, the children in the red squares key group chose to
learn about doctors, nurses and hospitals. To further the children's
knowledge we were very fortunate to have some parents who work
in the medical profession come in to talk to the children and answer
some of their questions. We had visits from two nurses and four
doctors who came with a variety of medical tools and equipment.
The children got to dress up as doctors and they pretended to look
after their patients. One of the dolls in Nursery even got a plaster
cast on her "sore arm"! It was a wonderful learning experience for
everyone involved.
P2 have been baking shortbread as part
of the "Scottish" themed topic.
Skype Session for Social Studies
Entrepreneur Live
In a Social Studies lesson all the Primary fours
came together and we Skyped with Henry’s
Cousin. Our Social Studies project is France
and Henry’s cousin Rebecca is currently
working in a Secondary School in France as
a classroom assistant. We asked her lots of
questions because one of our Big Questions
is “What is it like to live in France compared
to Aberdeen?” I asked her if she liked it there
and she said “Yes I like it more than I thought
I would”. I enjoyed Skype-ing with Rebecca.
Kate Duncan P4J
On 4 November S5 & S6 Higher Business Management pupils attended the Entrepreneur
Live 2014 Conference held at the RBS Headquarters in Edinburgh. This was very exciting
and beneficial as we were able to see classroom theory put into practice. There were various
speakers throughout the day who told us how they made their mark in the business world:
Cally Russell who founded the online shopping app Mallzee who illustrated that creating the
right business means being passionate about your idea and engaging with the right people
along the way. Following this, Louis Barnett inspired us all when he demonstrated that age
and education shouldn’t be a barrier to being a successful entrepreneur. Kirsty Henshaw then
told us about her perfect pitch on the BBC’s Dragon Den and finally James Brown fascinated
us all when he spoke of his business starting from travelling around the world at a young
age and sampling different beers which he was keen to make accessible in the smaller UK
market. Throughout the day pupils were able to meet the entrepreneurs and ask questions.
We also took part in a business task designing our own healthy food product and we were
one of the few groups to make it on the stage and pitch our product idea. Unfortunately
we did not win but we learnt a lot from taking part and developed our presentation skills.
Overall we thought it was a fun day out of the classroom which had an educational twist to
it, enabling us to meet young entrepreneurs and become inspired by their stories.
Sarah Mennie (S5)
Geologist visit
The P4 pupils enjoyed a presentation from
Mr Andrew Craig, a former pupil who is
now a Geologist. The pupils heard all about
Mr Craig’s adventures as a Geologist and the
different countries he is able to visit whilst
searching for different types of rocks and
solids. The pupils have been learning all about
Rocks and Solids within their Science lessons
so having Mr Craig meant this topic came
alive to them and there are now budding
Geologists amongst the classes.
P4 Trip to Glen Garioch
The P4 pupils had amazing trip to Glen
Garioch Distillery. As part of their Social
Studies topic on France, the pupils have been
considering aspects of what France is famous
for and have identified wine as an example
of this. As part of the topic is a comparison
between the country being studied and
Aberdeen, the pupils decided to compare the
French wine industry to the Scottish whisky
industry. To help with this they visited Glen
Garioch Distillery to learn how whisky is
made, the importance such an industry has
had on Scottish economy and tourism and
the similarities and differences between the
two industries. The pupils are now researching
within their ICT lessons about the French
wine industry.
P4 Trip to Bennichie Forest
Last term’s topic in Science for P4 was
habitats. To enhance the pupils learning
further about this topic the pupils enjoyed a
trip to Bennachie Forest. At the forest they
undertook a lesson with a forest ranger on
the different types of habitats that can be
found within a forest. They completed a
scavenger hunt, measured trees to identify
their ages and looked for evidence of animal
tracks and homes. The understanding gained
from this trip will support the P4 pupils when
they work on a Mini-beast project with the
Nursery pupils in term 3.
Matt Dickinson Author Visit
As a part of our English curriculum, S4 and S5 English classes gathered in the MacRobert Hall
to receive advice and hear exciting anecdotes from author and film-maker Matt Dickinson.
A climbing enthusiast, he spoke to us about some of the astounding moments that he
has experienced while putting himself in exciting, albeit life-threatening, situations. Having
climbed Mount Everest, he detailed some of the horrors of the trek as well as the triumph
he felt when he reached the peak. His climbing has inspired many pieces of his writing, such
as ‘The Everest Files’, and he was very helpful in providing us with numerous methods to
use when writing short stories, or even novels. We took notes as he explained his planning
techniques and had a chance to try them out during the session; they proved useful when
putting together our own folio pieces. The talk was entertaining and thought-provoking, so
thank you Matt Dickinson for helping us develop ideas and think of new ways of writing.
WInter 2014 From the Quadrangle
6
Football
Congratulatons to Laurie Cunningham (S4),
Calum McKenzie and Cameron Imrie (both
S3) who have been selected to play for the
Aberdeen District Select Team which is made
up of all the best footballers from Aberdeen
city schools. The boys attended a trial earlier
in the year and were selected to represent
Aberdeen city at various levels. Laurie plays
for the senior select side and Calum and
Cameron for the U16s play for the U16s side.
Editorial: pr@rgc.aberdeen.sch.uk
Photography and articles: A big thank you to
everyone who contributed to this edition of From
the Quadrangle. © Robert Gordon’s College 2014
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7
From the Quadrangle Winter 2014
Senior girls win Aberdeen
Schools Netball Tournament
The Senior girls won the Aberdeen Schools Netball tournament on Tuesday 4th November
held at the Beach Lesuire Centre. The tournament was a round robin format and the girls
were undefeated. Lauren Lefevre showed her experience of the game and captained her
team superbly. Alix Wrighton, Olivia Haywood and Jessica Harle showed fantastic speed and
agility around the court, feeding the circle confidently and taking some fine interceptions.
The defensive unit of Jessica Gear, Aisha Taylor-Sinclair and Lauren Caldow proved difficult for
the opposition to break through. Our youngsters, Emma Love (current U17 Scottish squad)
and Fiona Stewart took the court confidently and showed that they are certainly ones to
watch this season. Well done to all involved.
Meanwhile, the Senior B Netball squad has started the season with great success. Playing
for the first time together as a team, after welcoming our new S4 players, the team bonded
brilliantly both on and off court to secure 1st place in the Aberdeen Schools Senior B Netball
Tournament. Seven schools from across the city came together to compete in the tournament
and, as always, the girls played with great intensity, enthusiasm and maturity.
Debating
Model United Nations
The Winter term is always a busy one for our
debaters, and this year has proved no different.
Alice Jaspars and Harriet Foreman (both S6)
have made it through to the second round of
the Law Society tournament, whilst Malcolm
Cowie and Joseph Aimard (both S2) have won
themselves a place in the second round of ESU
Juniors. Most recently, Kyle Spencer and Anthony
Walsh, and Aysha Iqbal and Kara Abraham (S4),
reached the final of the Aberdeen University
Debating Competition, where Kara also won
the prize for Best Novice. Fraser Cowie and
Murray Coueslant (both S4) won the first ever
in-school Elder Cup tournament and were
presented the cup by our very own Mr Elder.
Meanwhile in public speaking, Daniel Craig (S6)
has made it through to the final of the NOSS
Public Speaking competition, in which he will
compete in March. We wish all our debaters
and public speakers continuing success for the
months ahead.
Miss Hendry
Although 6am is not the most auspicious
start to a day, especially when you are
dealing with a group of teenagers, the Model
United Nations Penicuik conference was a
resounding success for RGC. With 21 students
representing Israel, the United Kingdom
or Canada and debating issues such as
nationalism, endangered species and size zero
models, our delegates all achieved fantastic
results. In the general assembly debate on
terrorism in the Middle East a particular well
done should go to the delegates representing
Israel who had their resolution passed, an
amazing achievement. Well done to everyone
who participated in the conference, especially
to those of you whose first conference this
was. I would also like to say a huge thank
you to all the staff that made the conference
possible for us, and especially the staff that
had to sit on a bus for 6 hours with a gaggle
of loud and opinionated children.
Harriet Foreman, Secretary-General
Robert Gordon’s College, Schoolhill, Aberdeen AB10 1FE UK Tel: 01224 646346 (Senior School) 01224 646758 (Junior School)
The RGC Dance Club is very proud to
announce that one of our Dance members,
Lucy Cowie (S4) was recently been selected
to perform as part of an elite dance
group at the Royal Albert Hall as part of
the prestigious event, ‘The Proms’. Dylan
Smith (S5) was also selected to perform
alongside Lucy and both greatly enjoyed
this experience.
Lucy also performed at the College Prize
Giving, creating a beautiful ballet rendition
of Swan Lake with Molly Forsyth (S4). We
wish Lucy and all our dancers in Dance Club
the best of luck in their upcoming exams.
Miss L Robertson
Robert Gordon’s College is a charity registered in Scotland, No. SC000123
Dance